currently untitled
by Dinochickennugget
Summary: Tris left behind a legacy in more way than one. Now, it's up to Christina to carry it on. *Allegiant spoilers/AU*
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

One phrase, and the world fell away. One look, and the remains shattered. One tear slipped...

And he slipped, too.

The girl standing there was small. Bright-eyed. Full of dangerous energy. Just like _her. _But this girl was very much alive.

Just like she had to be. Tris...

"Tobias?" the bright-eyed girl, Cara, repeated His name once again, calling him back into the harshness of reality. But he couldn't look at her. Tris was alive, and Cara was claiming otherwise! What kind of a sick person...

"Tobias, look at me." Uncalled for harshness inflected her words. "There's something else I need to tell you. While it won't be easy, you need to be told. There are options."

"Tell me." He continued to slip away. His dark eyes shown, bright and dangerous. On edge and guarded, but still calculating. "Tell me, Cara. What-"

"Tris." Hearing her name again burned. Acidic-feeling tears stabbed the backs of his eyes, unalloyed to fall. They crept down to the back of his squeezed-shut throat. Cara was still lying. Tris was hiding somewhere around the corner. Pretending she was gone? Terrible. '_Erudite is the coldest of the five...' _Cara must be the coldest of all the Erudite, then, if she would do this.

"They checked to see if there was any way to revive Tris," Cara continued. "I'm sorry, Tobias, truly. And they did try. But her brain was gone. There was nothing that could be done."

His face crumpled. Cara was factual, after all. Of she started spurting off information without being prompted, well, could she be right? No. No way.

"I am sorry. But there is something else." Cara took a deep breath and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Tobias, Tris was pregnant."

Silence. Frozen silence. Shock. No reaction.

Then the wall broke down. Tobias screamed. No, no, that wasn't possible. Physically possible, yes, he would admit. But why? They had already gone through too much. Loosing both Tris and their baby? It wasn't fair!

The screaming continued as Tobias began to throw himself against the walls. It was a dream, a fear scape gone wrong, a simulation he had somehow been swept into. All he needed to do was wake up... Wake up... Wake up! Go find Tris, make sure she's safe, and that the baby is okay.

The hand on his arm was small and gentle. "Tris?"

"Tobias, calm down!" Cara put herself between his body and the wall. As usual, she was calmed by the facts she was about to share. Otherwise, she probably would have been more empathetic and emotional. "There is something we can do. But we need you to calm down in order to give your consent to it. Of course, we are assuming that this is your child. All rights to the medical choices made for this baby will be yours. Now, this is risky, but-"

Footsteps pounded at the end of the hallway, cutting off the rest of Cara's words. Christina. She was pale, with shiny black streaks of wetness pouting from her eyes.

"Oh my gosh, I heard what happened!" She pushed Cara out of the way and squeezed Tobias. "I'm so sorry, really!" She continued to hug him. He was frozen under her grasp. As soon as they were quiet, Cara cleared her throat.

"I don't mean to be insensitive, but time is really of the essence.

Christina was used to this kind of brutal honesty and disregard for politeness. But Tobias's face burned under his tears. Couldn't Cara see that they needed a minute first? T

They didn't just loose anyone. This was Tris. Beatrice Elizabeth Prior. His first true love. The strongest, bravest, most selfless and beautiful girl he had ever known. The only person on the whole planet he was certain about loving.

After this war was over, he was going to ask her to marry him...

Beatrice Elizabeth Prior. Tris. Tris...

"There may be a way to save the baby." Cara blushed as she spoke up, knowing she wasn't welcome to. "It's risky. The odds are better if we act fast. As you know, the Erudite are- were- responsible for medical advances. The team here thinks it may be possible to transplant Tris's uterus into a volunteer's body. If successful, they would have a fairly normal pregnancy and delivery. The organ and baby are being stored cryogenically. There is an eight to twelve hour window of viable transplant time."

Tobias nodded. "So you want me to...?"

"No! Oh, no, not you. Sorry, but estrogen levels and all. But would you allow for this to be done?"

He nodded again. Christina stepped forward.

"Tris would consent, too. I was her closest female friend. Tobias, let me do this. Please."

There was never any arguing with Christina. And of saying yes would save his baby's life, the answer was obvious. Finally, the caged tear slipped out.

"Thank you, Christina. Thank you so much."

Cara beamed. "Excellent, Christina. Let's go for your labs and get you prepared for surgery."

On her way out, Christina squeezed Tobias's hand.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"Because-" Christina faltered and wiped a few tears away. "She and I were each others teachers at one point or another, teaching two sides of one story. It taught her how to stand out. She did, and wonderfully. She taught me to be selfless. And now, she is giving me a chance to prove I've learned my lesson."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Cara wrapped an arm around Tobias's shoulder. Not even an hour ago, it had been confirmed that Christina was in an acceptable condition to continue with the procedure.

"Do you want me to go ask for an update?" Cara had dome some training in this sort of setting before. While she could not directly empathize, she knew how to make it all a little bit easier.

Tobias nodded. Honestly, he had just wanted time away from Cara. Still, the concept of time alone was terrifying. In the moments of silence, he could still hear her voice.

Was the baby okay? Could it breathe? Did it have any thoughts? Was it in any pain? Did it miss Tris?

He hurried his face in his hands, absolutely unable to cope with the intrusive thoughts. Once again, the screaming drowned out the silence.

Someone grabbed his arm, whispering something about relaxing. Then someone else, about everything being okay. No, no, not okay. Nothing was. Somehow, Tobias heard his thoughts projected out loud. Everything hurt too much...

It was like getting that first tattoo back in Dauntless. A sharp, quick burst of pain that briefly blocked out the emotional. But unlike that time, with it's rushing energy and thrill this led to pure darkness, a quiet place where no one could hear him scream.

Cara was there, calm and reassuring. "Hey," she whispered. "Feel okay? Physically?"

He nodded, slightly groggy. His arm ached in a way similar to a serum injection. This made their setting make sense; they were in a hospital triage room.

"They had no choice but to sedate you," Cara started to explain. "But, as always, you metabolized the solution very well, despite being a GD without pure Divergence. Anyway, you were only out for a few minutes."

She was hiding something. Her babbling. Reiterating old facts. Retreating into information. She was stalling from telling him something...

"Cara?" His voice was heavy. She turned to face him, concerned but apprehensive. "How's Christina?"

"Um, well..." She squeezed her bright green eyes shut and smoothed the end of her braid down nervously before continuing. "We don't know how successful this will be quite yet. I'm sorry. She's fully anesthetized, and metabolizing that perfectly. Her vitals are great, and the incision layers are coming out beautifully. But the baby's heart rate is slower than average for its development stage. Extra oxygen for the baby and Christina should help. But that carries a risk of issues later on."

She gave him a moment for that to sink in. He blinked, and looked away. Cara saw panicked tears threatening to form. Tactfully, she pretended not to notice. Unfortunately, that meant continuing.

"Also, we are trying to raise Christina's estrogen levels to what they would be if she had conceived naturally. So in theory, we have all the solutions. But in practice, it's unpredictable. We will know about the surgical success in a few hours, and she will be heavily monitored until and through delivery."

It all felt like it was too much to grasp. Tobias felt like he was hearing her from underwater, on half speed. She nodded slightly.

"It's probably still in your system. Sleep. It may be the last good one you have in a while." He had passed out before Cara was done talking.

Several hours passed. Whenever Cara wasn't checking on Christina, or even allowed to watch the first stage of implantation, she stayed with Tobias, observing him. She knew of him fairly decently from school, where she was a year above, prior to her initiation to Erudite. Later, when she heard of his decision to join the Dauntless, she was not surprised. He was always alert, always on edge. This was the most relaxed she had ever seen him.

There was a knock on the door. It opened slightly, and the disembodied voice of the transplant director came in. "She's sleeping, but stable. Baby, same as before. Room 205, if you want to go in."

Cara nodded, not noticing that the doctor had left already. "I'll just give him a few more minutes."

When she looked back down, she saw Tobias's eyes slowly slip open. The medicine had worked it's way out of his system, but he was still bleary-eyed and slightly drowsy.

"Cara? I want to go now."

She sighed slightly, but knew that there was no way to stop him from going. At the choosing ceremony, Dauntless was represented by fire, and Erudite with water. Both are dangerous in their own right and under the right circumstance, and each could neutralize the other. This was not a time where water could extinguish flame entirely.

"Okay, fine. Let's go. Now, she's not going to be looking so good. Don't freak out, okay? I mean, I know you won't. No, that's not entirely accurate. I know you will try."

He nodded slightly and go up to follow Cara. They trailed down a winding hallway, Cara checking room numbers as they went. Finally, she nodded towards the right one.

The room was kept mostly darkened. Christina was kept on the far end, still unconscious and connected to assorted monitors. Cara seemed oddly at ease in this setting. Maybe she noticed, or maybe she just wanted to show off. She took Tobias by the hand nod led him over to Christina's side.

"See how closely they're watching her? Her and the baby, that is. If something were to go wrong, there would be a warning. The wires taped around her right elbow there are for watching her heartbeat. The one on her finger, blood gasses. That band there, wrapped around her abdomen, does similar functions, but on the baby. Everything else is hydration and medicine drips. Judging by this, and the monitor statuses, I would estimate that she should be more alert within the next couple of hours."

Christina's clothing was arranged in a way that her stomach was bare. From hip to hip was a long wrapping of bandages. Tobias assumed that this was where they opened her up for the surgery. She willingly did this to herself to give a chance, even a slim one, to his child. She really was a Dauntless.

His fingertips brushed the skin around the wrappings. It felt real. A baby. Tris's beautiful child. _His_._  
_


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- So sorry for the delay! You see, I had this fic handwritten, so I figured I was finished with it. I totally forgot that it wasn't typed or posted yet. So sorry!

Chapter Three

"Tobias?" In the dimming light of the evening, Christina struggled to sit up. "Tobias, are you still there?"

Cara turned to Tobias and half-smiled. She squeezed his hand and left, making sure the door was firmly closed behind her.

"I'm here." He came closer to the bed and kneeled beside her. "Lay back down."

She nodded and reluctantly obeyed. A question hung in the air between them. But as long as it remained unasked, everything was okay. It was a fragile bubble, easy to pop, but impossible to find a reason to. It hung awkwardly, obvious but ignored.

Wincing, Christina poked at her stomach. She nodded, anticipating Tobias's question. "It hurts. But I'm okay. Besides, it feels right somehow. I've got an instinct. Don't ask how I know, but your baby is doing just fine."

Tobias nodded, carefully considering this. Better to accept this than question, he figured. So when her shaking hand encircled his wrist, he smiled.

"When I was your instructor, I didn't seem to tell you enough, that I was proud of you. Now you've exceeded all expectations. It's shocking that you aren't divergent. You're Dauntless 'til the end, but you would have made an amazing Abnegation."

She smiled. "You really weren't always the greatest teacher."

Despite the stressful situation, Tobias laughed. "Candor it is, then! You know, I knew that. But I never expected for one of you to call me on it."

Her eyes pulled away. She suddenly felt cold, not physically, but emotionally frozen. The IV felt like dripping ice, encasing her from the inside out. Her voice quivered. "And I never expected this. Not ever for a minute did I think you'd be one of my only friends left, or that I'd be pregnant with your baby. Tobias, I just- It's too much! You say I'm a Candor, you want me to be honest? You were wrong!"

"Christina, I-"

"No, you're wrong! I'm not a Dauntless. I'm terrified! Getting through the next nine months, delivery, all without Tris? And then the rest of life after that? I know she was your girlfriend, but she was practically my sister! It's hard in me too, you know!"

Tears streamed down both of their faces. Christina's slender frame shook as she pushed Tobias away. "Just leave me alone," she begged. "Please. I'll update you on your child's condition when I can. But please... I'm not ready. I'm not ready..."

Wordlessly, Tobias left. He and Christina were still crying silently, though neither one acknowledged the other.

And so he was alone again. The hallway was dark and abandoned, empty. The exact opposite of his mind. Thoughts were always whirring, buzzing, in full vivid detail. Tonight, as usual, each idea was worse than the last.

"I figured you'd come back soon." Cara took one look at Tobias's wet, streaky face and nodded. "You know, sometimes anesthetics can make a person unusually emotional. Maybe it was hers, or maybe it was your sedative. But you can calm down now, okay? Come on, let's get you to bed."

Gasping and shaky, he nodded slightly, but didn't move. The fingernails on one hand dug into the back of the other until droplets of blood pushed close to the surface. Cara was walking away already. Loneliness spread fast, but at least let him feel something other than empty and drained...

Cara turned around quickly. "Don't do that." She took Tobias's hands off of each other and started to guide him down the hallway. "Please don't. It won't help you."

But she was wrong. He had broken through the numbness. Just like back in Dauntless... She was wrong. "Cara..."

They had been walking down the hall the entire time. He didn't notice, not until she pushed into the dorm and sat him down on the edge of his bed. "Hush. Now, calm down, relax. I won't bother you, but I'll be here when you wake up. There are some things you need to hear, and some people you need to talk to. But that can wait. Sleep."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The pale-eyed Erudite glared at each other from across the room. Cara sighed as she looked down on Tobias sleeping fitfully between herself and Caleb.

"Do we have to do this now? Here?" She shook her head and continued in her argument. "Neither of them are willing to speak with you."

"I know, I know..." Caleb's grey-rimmed eyes were twitching anxiously. "But please, Cara! Help me out here!"

Her voice was infused with frozen steel. "And why should I do that?"

"Cara, you know what it feels like, loosing your sibling." Tears bubbled up into the corners of his eyes. His voice grew higher, pleading, desperate. "Surely you can understand why-"

"No, Caleb. No. There is no way you are getting custody over that child."

The tears of frustration were released. Cara turned away and focused on Tobias. Caleb knew he was loosing the battle. "I just want to make it right."

Tobias thrashed out wildly, moaning as he slept. Cara sighed. "If you had made anything right, this baby would have it's mother, now wouldn't it? Goodbye, Caleb. Don't bother coming back."

The shock and desprration were obvious on his face. Cara knew he was right, in a way. She did understand. But that didn't do anything to change her opinion. Tobias's frantic screaming rebuilt her nerve. Building up every ounce of strengrh, she grabbed Caleb's arm and threw him out of the room. Her fingernails dug in and imprinted deep crescents. Her physical damage wasn't much; it was the emotional that caused the worst wreckage. "If you had done anything write, that baby would have it's mother."

He ran. Cara chased after. She didn't feel done with him yet. "You coward!" she screeched. "You ignorant ass! Do you know how much of this we could've prevented if you weren't trying to save yourself from the beginning? Of course not! I hate you!"

She slammed the door and shakily sat down on the bed opposite Tobias's. Out of anxious habit, she smoothed the sheets down into perfectly crisp corners. It was oddly soothing. She could easily control the details, eliminating any imperfections. The wrinkles folded at her fingertips as if awaiting her command. But if she so desired, the whole thing could be reduced to wadded-up shreds on the other side of the room. For today, she chose control.

Tobias moaned once more and woke, breathing heavily. He was all too aware that he wasn't alone. The tear- soaked pillow was proof enough that Cara, and anyone else who came into the shared room, must have witnessed something that didn't need an audience. "Cara?"

She sighed. "I know what you're going to ask. Yes. I heard it all."

He nods and blushes. "Oh. And, um, I heard you, too. With Caleb."

"I was harsh," she admitted. "But think it was justified. As long as I have a say, he won't get near your baby."

Tobias smiled vaguely. An awkward silence and twisted thoughts tempted him. "Caleb can still be executed. On the charges of directly endangering a rebel leader. We can press a charge. They're strict here. It could work."

Cara's mind shut down momentarily. She hated the idea. Then again, knowing who- no, what- Caleb was made the decision a little bit easier. "I don't know," she mumbled. "I mean, I know you want to. And of course, you have a reason. But pause to think. Will you regret making this case? If he is sentenced, well, it's permanent, of course. Think about it."

Tobias nodded. "I'll ask Christina. Not that we don't know her answer. How is she anyway? Can we go now?"

"That would be a good idea." Cara squeezed Tobias's shoulder and got up. Her stride towards the door was quick and certain, contrasting with his nervousness. "There are some things that we need to talk about."


End file.
